


Nothing Left to Lose (Alternate Ending to Secret of the Sundrop)

by newsies_of_corona



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Varian Has Issues (Disney)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:36:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23381761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newsies_of_corona/pseuds/newsies_of_corona
Summary: What would have happened if Varian won?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	Nothing Left to Lose (Alternate Ending to Secret of the Sundrop)

Varian was standing, hunched over at his desk. The only light in the dingy workspace, which was a sorry excuse for a lab, was the faint glow of his various compounds leaking out of broken beakers on the ground, another victim of Varian’s emotions. The light of the moon shown through a small window in the back of the room onto a tall pillar obscured with a makeshift tarp. In the corner lay a woman, passed out from one of Varian’s concoctions. Ruddiger still hadn’t come back after his villainous rampage, but that was the least of Varian’s worries. As he looked at his plans for a giant upgraded automaton he had come up with if things went worse than expected, he couldn’t help but wonder,

Am I doing the right thing?

He quickly cast that thought aside. There was no turning back now, he was in far too deep. Soon, he knew, Rapunzel and the kingdom were going to come after him. He was now the villain in their story, and the only thing he could do now was fight. He almost felt bad for the princess; she had no idea what she was getting into. His thoughts were paused when he heard moaning in the corner. He walked over to look at the queen. She was laying on the ground half asleep. As he looked at her he began to think of his own mother. His face softened, and a little voice in the back of his mind began to come through.

This isn’t right and you know it. Is this who you want to be known as? A criminal? I know you think it’s too late to turn back but it’s not. You can turn yourself in before you make a big mistake. Rapunzel wouldn’t-

Varian quickly cut off that thought.

“Rapunzel doesn’t matter right now. None of this would have happened if she had cared about helping my dad. She could have saved him, she promised to help me…” He looked down sorrowfully until that sorrow was replaced with fury.

“And now she’s going to have to save him or die trying.”

The voice in his head made an unwelcome return.

Die trying? Listen to yourself this isn’t you!

“Shut up!”

Varian violently threw another compound on the floor, and then realized he wasn’t talking to anyone. He was going insane and he was only 14. He unclenched his fists and went back to his work, going over all of his plans again about what would occur in the next hour. Then without thinking about it, he went over to where the queen was, stood her up, and walked her to the center of his lab in front of the statue. He went back to his desk and waited for her to fully wake up. He needed someone to share his pain with, even she was against him. When he heard her struggling to break free of her ropes, he put on his best sinister act.

“Don’t worry you’re majesty,” he said as he turned around.

“You are merely bait to lure the princess here.”

He went on, wanting someone to talk to after 4 long months of being alone. He looked at his plans surrounding the princess.

“Only the magic of her unbreakable hair can shatter the amber and free my father,” his voice broke. He was in so much pain, but he needed to hide it. If he showed any weakness, his plan would go to waste.

“I tried asking for help in a civil manner, but was denied by everyone in Corona,” he vented angrily.

He walked over to the tarp covered object in the middle of the room.

“So unfortunately, this is my only remaining recourse.”

Varian ripped the tarp away revealing a tall, omnious, red-orange pillar encasing a man reaching upwards, pain showing on his face. Queen Arianna gasped. She looked horrified. Varian was glad that someone finally understood the severity of his situation. She looked at Varian and asked him something that he was not expecting.

“And after you’ve freed your father?”

Varian had never thought about what would happen after, but he was already fueled by so much rage and corruption that he just answered in a dark laugh.

“After? Well I’m afraid Corona will pay for turning their backs on me. And that’s when you should start worrying, your majesty.”

The queen gasped in horror and Varian could hardly believe the words coming out of his own mouth. It was like someone else had taken over his body and was talking for him. Varian liked how it felt though. For once he was the one in the control and it felt empowering.

“Why not destroy Corona after dad is free? They deserve everything that’s coming to them,” Varian thought.

Because you know your father would never want that. Especially from you. You wouldn’t be making him proud.

“Aghhh stop!” Varian yelled angrily at no one.

The queen was too shocked to say anything and just watched the misled corrupted boy carry on with his work. She wished she could do something to get through to him, but he seemed too far gone.

Varian kneeled on the floor in front of his encased father and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

“I will make you proud dad.”

Varian stood up and collected himself the best he could, then ushered the queen over to a make shift cell he created. Before she could say anything else, he cuffed her ankle to a chain linked to the floor. He made sure that she was in a spot where the black rocks were growing, just in case there was any resistance from Rapunzel.

“It’s okay your majesty,” Varian whispered sinisterly.

“This will all be over soon.”

Varian closed the curtain to her cell and prepared for the coming battle that he was about to face.

He knew that some of the princess’s team would attack his lab from the outside, so he prepared over 20 automatons that should keep them occupied while he dealt with Rapunzel and who he assumed would be her father.

He also knew they would try break into his lab and attack him, so to keep them distracted, he prepared a dummy of himself to stand at the window right where a booby trap would be waiting so they could not escape. It would happen much like the first time Rapunzel stumbled into his lab, but this time would be on purpose.

Varian prepared all of his weapons and double checked everything until he saw people and horses coming in his direction.

“What a happy family reunion this will be,” he said to the queen, “for both of us.”

He smiled maniacally and left her cell, closing the curtain behind him.

“Show time,” he said cynically while activating his automatons.

Once he heard the melancholy trill of the music boxes he had made to power them he knew he was ready. He hid in the shadows in a part of his lab, while Rapunzel and her father climbed through the floor using his secret entrance, just like he predicted.

When the trap was activated, he grabbed his staff and made his entrance. With a dark, sinister laugh, he revealed himself .

“Welcome back, Rapunzel.” He said with a menacing smile. He was enjoying watching their frightened faces as he grabbed Pascal off Rapunzel’s shoulder and locked him in a cage designed specifically for the little chameleon. He had thought of everything this time.

“Varian, I demand you release us. And tell me where the queen is!” King Frederic said with a firm tone.

You should listen to him.

Varian was having none of it. This was his time and even the king couldn’t tell him to stop. This was the only way he could save his father.

“Your majesty, I know it’s hard for you, but for the first time in your life, you are in no postition to demand anything,” Varian said, lacing his sarcastic words with anger as he slammed Pascal’s cage on the table.

“But in the spirit of compromise,” he continued, “how ‘bout I meet ya half way?” Varian said walking across the room and pulling back the curtain to reveal the queen, still chained to the floor.

“Mom!” Rapunzel shouted, reaching out for her mother.

“I’m okay, Rapunzel,” the queen replied.

“Let her go, Varian, please!”

Just let her go, what do you have to gain from this?

Varian ignored the voice and continued with his plan.

“First, you’re going to do something for me,” He told Rapunzel.

“What do you want?” King Fredric asked harshly.

“Ohh. So now you care about what I want,” Varian replied cynically with another dark laugh. “All it took was threatening the things you love the most.” Varian grabbed Arianna by the shoulder and glared at Rapunzel.

Varian walked around to the back of his lab and wheeled out another contraption covered by a tarp.

“What are you going to do Varian?” King Frederic asked.

“Yeah, I’ll spare you the details about the Sundrop and darkness, blah blah blah and get to the good stuff.”

Varian unveiled his drill that he was going to use to break through the amber.

Varian walked over to one of the rocks growing from under his lab.

“Unbreakable,” he started as he tapped the rock.

He walked over to Rapunzel and grabbed her braid.

“Unbreakable. To put it plainly, with assistance from my drill Rapunzel’s hair should be able to shatter the amber, and free my father.”

“What do you mean should?” The king asked.

Varian was really getting tired of all of his questions so he decided to have a little fun.

“Well… I suppose it’s just as likely the amber shatters Rapunzel, I mean the properties-” Varian started carelessly.

“Absolutely not!” Frederic cut him off unsheathing his sword.

Varian was amused that Frederic still thought that he had some kind of authority in this situation. Varian was completely in control and there was nothing the king or anyone else could do about it.

“It’s not your choice, dad.” Rapunzel spoke up.

Varian didn’t care about respect at this point and decided to go a little further.

“She’s right, dad.” Varian said sarcastically, leaning on Frederic and pushing his sword down.

“Oh! And I almost forgot we’re kinda on a time crunch here so I’m gonna have to speed things along,” Varian said uncorking a flask with the compound that trapped his father, and half-heartedly pouring it on the rock that was closest to Arianna. The amber began to grow, threatening to encase the queen at any moment.

“Varian stop!” Rapunzel screamed.

Varian didn’t care what happened to the queen as long as his father could be freed. If they lost her along the way, it was their own fault.

He walked up to Rapunzel with the antidote that would get her out of the trap on the ground, knowing that she wouldn’t refuse to help him this time.

“Well,” he said dissolving the compound around her feet, “shall we get started?” He asked with a cynical smile.

Rapunzel took her long, golden hair out of it’s signature braid and let it hang down, ready for Varian to do his work. He was honestly surprised at how easy it was to make her cooperate.

Easy? As in “threatening her mother’s life” easy?

Varian grasped Rapunzel’s hair and thought of the victory he’d have once his dad was free. He funneled her hair through the drill.

Rapunzel spoke up, “Varian, if this doesn’t work and something happens to me please, let my mother go.”

“I can’t make any promises, princess.”

Varian put on his goggles and started up his drill, taking all of Rapunzel’s Sundrop power and focusing it on his dad. Rapunzel winced and grabbed her hair as the drill pulled it, but Varian payed her no attention. As Rapunzel’s hair started to glow, he drilled into the amber and saw the waves of magic going up into the statue, but nothing happened.

“What? Why?”

Varian drilled harder, getting more frustrated by the second. More magic waves went up through the statue until it wore Rapunzel out. She fainted and fell to the ground, exhausted. Varian’s drill kept persisting, straining to break through the amber. Smoke was eminating off of its tip and Varian pushed it harder than ever, but to no avail. Quirin stayed, frozen in time, trapped in the amber.

“I- I don’t understand! Her hair it should have cut through it! Why didn’t it work?” Varian’s voice broke out of sorrow and he ran over to his dad, banging on the statue. He almost started crying again, but then he remembered the war wasn’t won yet. He couldn’t break, he couldn’t show any weakness or they would be able to escape and defeat him. He stood up and tried to regain his composure and at least pretend that he was still in control.

“I’m sorry to have to do this to you, princess, but you leave me no choice,” Varian said with a sinister sneer.

Varian closed the curtain to the queen’s cell, her screams echoing through the lab as the amber surrounded her.

“Varian no! Please! I’m sorry I couldn’t help you but there’s still time! We can figure this out together!” Rapunzel pleaded, sobbing.

She tried to get through to Varian but it was no use. When Varian looked back at her she no longer saw the sweet and kind boy she once knew. Whoever was looking at her now had been hardened by pain and anger and had become so unfeeling that he didn’t care if he killed the queen or her entire family. Rapunzel knew in that moment that there was a good chance she wasn’t going to make it out of this alive.

“It’s too late for apologies, princess.”

Varian yanked Rapunzel’s hair out of his machine, making her scream in pain and trapped her back next to her father.

“Varian whatever you are going to do to us, take me, not Rapunzel.” The king pleaded.

Varian, please, don’t do this.

The alchemist ignored them, reached inside his apron and retrieved a vile of lime-yellow color. Without thinking anything of it, he poured the solution on the rocks that we’re closest to the princess and the king.

Rapunzel, knowing what was about to happen, grabbed on tightly to her father’s hand.

“I love you dad,” Rapunzel said softly.

The orange curls of amber swirled around them, quickly encasing Rapunzel’s arm and then the king’s leg, and it kept growing. Varian went over to the cell and pulled back the curtain to reveal the queen, suspended in the amber, her hand reaching out for the king and princess. Rapunzel saw her mother and let out horrified scream, clutching onto her father as the amber went over their heads.

Four amber suspended bodies now stood in Varian’s lab, ominously casting shadows over everything in the room. As Varian looked back one more time, he could see the princess and the king, grasping onto each other, holding on until the very end. Rapunzel’s magical hair was dimly fading out, until the blonde turned to brunette and the statue stopped glowing.

Varian looked outside to see Eugene, Cassandra and the others fighting for their lives against his automatons. He looked down at his giant robot he constructed debating on whether or not he should use it.

“Well,” Varian said as he looked around the room, “I have nothing left to lose.”

Varian got into the robot and broke out of his lab, letting his anger take full control of him. He attacked the people he once considered friends, because he had no sympathy for them now. He showed no mercy. He didn’t care about his dad anymore cause he knew he could never get him free, he only cared about making everyone suffer as much as he had.

No one was left standing that night. The alchemist had left a new legacy for himself, one that would have never made his father proud if he was alive. The people feared him for years to come, and the voice in his head never bothered him again.

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry!!! I have never written anything that angsty in my life (I didn't even know I could) but this was so fun to write! I really hope you enjoyed it!


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